Aiming at a BreakthroughCurrent Status of the Division ofEducation in Applied Physics,and Outlook for the Future
Yoshiaki NAKANO
Chief, Division of Education in Applied Physics
The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Japan’s growth in the 21st Century will
depend on the development of new sciences
and technologies, and on the creation of newindustry, and the education of manpower is essential to achieving bothof these goals. In recent years, however, there has been a tendency foryoung people to drift away from the sciences or to develop a dislike forphysics, and this, in addition to the decline in basic academic abilities, isa grave situation for Japan, which is aiming to be a leader in the creationof science and technology. With the growing importance of education
for young people in the fields of science and technologies, companies
and academic societies are expected to have a greater understanding ofeducation, and to make greater contributions in this area.
The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP), and the Division ofEducation in Applied Physics in particular, has long been involved instudies of educational activities related to science and technology.
Through collaboration among its various Chapters and Educational Divisions, JSAP has undertaken science education activities for more than 10years, receiving an excellent response from both inside and outside of theSociety. Among these activities are the “Festival of Science in Daily Life”— an event comprising lectures and hands-on learning opportunities formainly elementary and junior high school students — which has been
held since 1995, and the “Workshop for Refreshing Science in the Classroom” which has been held since 1997. JSAP’s educational activities havecontinued to expand, for example with “Education Symposiums” and“Open Lectures.” The Division of Education in Applied Physics has beenan active participant in all of JSAP’s educational activities.
The JSAP Division of Education in Applied Physics was instituted in1988 based on the Applied Physics Education Research Group, which
was established in 1963, and so has been active for more than 40 years.
In addition to the “Educational Symposiums” held during the spring andautumn national conventions, some of the main activities conducted bythis Division are: the “Symposiums and research presentations related tophysics education”; the “Workshop for Refreshing Science in the Classroom” held in the Kanto region (Tokyo and surrounding prefectures); the“Physics Education Symposium,” which is held in collaboration with thePhysical Society of Japan and the Physics Education Society of Japan; joint
activities with six scientific and mathematical societies; and publication of
the Division’s Journal, “Applied Physics Education.”
At the Workshop for Refreshing Science in the Classroom in theKanto Region, information on science and technology is provided toteachers in elementary and junior high schools, along with hands-on
learning about how fun and interesting science can be. At the same time,teachers and students learn together about the interesting and wondrous
world of science, and about the “joy of thinking.” In keeping with the“World Year of Physics,” the main theme of this year’s science classrooms
is “What is Light? Enjoying wondrous experiments and experiences!” This
was an excellent opportunity to draw even more attention to physics thanever before.
The first “Symposium on Physics Education” was held at Chubu
University in 1991, and the 16th Symposium was held this year at
Fukuoka University. This event features active and frank discussions basedon exchanges of information and opinions among the members, andcontinues to expand and develop with each passing year. The Division’sJournal, “Applied Physics Education,” the only Physics Education journal
in Japan to feature an academic journal format, complete with English
abstracts and a referee system. The most recently published issue wasVolume 29, and the Journal will continue to be published on a semiannual basis, growing even further as an internationally recognized education journal.
The Japan Society of Applied Physics currently has about 23,000
members, about half of which are involved in corporate research anddevelopment activities. In this context, the Division of Education inApplied Physics does not limit itself to the field of university education
alone. Based on discussions of the need for corporate manpower education that began during the period of the Japanese “bubble economy,”
it welcomes participation by university professors as well as corporate
personnel managers and training managers, holding “Symposiums witha view toward reforms in corporate education and industrial structures,”which focus on entirely new approaches to education based on collaboration between companies and universities. The first Symposium, entitled“University Education and Corporate Education that Fosters Creativity”(Tokyo Institute of Technology) was held in 1991, and two more symposiums were held in successive years. Since the fourth gathering, thistheme has been incorporated into the educational symposiums held
during the spring and autumn national conventions.
Japan’s society is becoming increasingly complex, with a sluggish
economy and unpredictable political and economic conditions, changes
in the international environment in terms of science and technology,
and diversification of school education along with changes in Japanese people’s views of education. Even as it maintains close contacts
with companies and other academic societies, the Division of Education in Applied Physics will emphasize its unique characteristics as part of
the Japan Society of Applied Physics, undertaking activities that furtherclarify and fulfill the Division’s role in JSAP and in society as a whole. We
are confident that the activities of each and every one of the Division’s
members will contribute to the Japan’s future growth and development.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members for theirdetermined efforts and continuing support.

JSAP International No.13 (January 2006)

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